Susan Blank

Senior UX Researcher

Airbnb

Susan Blank, Ph.D. is an insights leader who blends compelling storytelling, human empathy, and advanced analytics to drive innovation and growth. She currently conducts user experience research for Airbnb, leveraging 20+ years of experience leading mixed-methods research teams and cross-functional initiatives to transform research into clarity, alignment, and actionable strategies. Her expertise spans B2C and B2B across industries including tech, finance, healthcare, education, CPG, retail, and real estate. Susan has guided positioning, product strategy, and user experience for brands such as Google, Nike, VSP, Opendoor, Annie’s, and Kaplan. Experienced rallying teams in both startups and complex enterprises, she thrives at the intersection of creativity and practice. Susan is dedicated to helping organizations transform data into market wins and memorable user experiences.

Sessions

Oct 28

12:10 PM - 12:30 PM PDT

Blue Stage

AI-Augmented Research Methods

Storytelling & Insight Activation

Travel & Hospitality

From Shelf to Table: Turning Stakeholders into Co-Creators

Stakeholder buy-in drives research impact, as AI reshapes how we earn it. This session shows how tools like Miro and Figma enable async collaboration during fielding and analysis—inviting co-creation and diverse perspectives. Learn how pairing these methods with emerging AI analysis techniques deepens human understanding of customers, turning insight generation into a shared, actionable journey.

Key Takeaways:

1. Stakeholder buy-in remains essential — AI has not changed that collaboration is still critical.

2. Fielding & analysis: prime zones for stakeholder co-creation via interactive boards.

3. Pairing AI + human collaboration yields more meaningful customer understanding.

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